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DIY for Homeowners

What Do I Need to Maintain This Yard?

9/22/2021

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text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter!
Steph's friend, David, lives nearby in her neighborhood. Due to his work schedule and numerous health issues including two back surgeries, he has been physically unable to deal with his yard. 

Steph and I were driving by his house one day and commented to each other on how unkept his yard had become. All of a sudden we decided we could do something to help!

After all, we have the tools and the time. So with his permission, we took a couple of days and got his wild yard under control so that he can now maintain it going forward. 

Tools:


  • RYOBI 40V Brushless 20 in. Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Lawn Mower with 6.0 Ah Battery and Charger (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI 40V Expand-It Cordless Battery Attachment Capable Trimmer Power Head with 4.0 Ah Battery and Charger (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI Expand-It 8 in. Universal Straight Shaft Edger Attachment (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI Expand-It 18 in. Straight Shaft Trimmer Attachment (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI ONE+ 18V 100 MPH 280 CFM Cordless Battery Variable-Speed Jet Fan Leaf Blower with 4.0 Ah Battery and Charger (Home Depot)

  • RYOBI 2300 PSI 1.2 GPM High Performance Electric Pressure Washer (Home Depot)

  • Simpson 15 in. Steel Surface Cleaner Rated up to 3700 PSI (Home Depot)

  • Loppers (Home Depot)

  • Garden Bow Rake (Home Depot)

  • Digging Shovel (Home Depot)

  • Dawn (Home Depot)

  • Krud Kutter (Home Depot)

  • Magic Eraser (Home Depot)

The power outdoor tools we are using are from Ryobi's Expand-It system.
The power outdoor tools we are using are from Ryobi's Expand-It system. We used the powerhead, string trimmer, and edger. We also used the Ryobi 40 Volt lawnmower. The Expand-It tools also use the same battery which is very convenient.
Mowing the yard with the Ryobi battery powered lawn mower.
Steph is using the Ryobi battery powered lawn mower with the grass catcher attached. It's a small yard so it didn't take much time.
Using the Ryobi Expand-It string trimmer.
The string trimmer was used in areas that couldn't be mowed like around the mailbox, A/C unit, and under plants.
Using the Ryobi Expand-It edger.
To clean up all the areas touching concrete, Steph used the edger. Since this had not been done in a while, it took a couple of passes to get the edge under control.
A pair of Fiskars Loppers helped to trim up the plants.
While Steph was working on the lawn maintenance, I started to work in this flower bed. The weeds here were out of control! I worked for hours pulling out weeds and trimming back the plants. A shovel and a good pair of gardening gloves got the job done. I also used a Fiskars lopper to cut out anything that couldn't be pulled out like a couple of small trees.
Picking up bags of red mulch from the garden department at Wal-Mart.
We picked up about 25 bags of red mulch (in two trips) to put down in the flower beds. (There was a rogue bag of brown mixed in with the the red ones! Unfortunately, we didn't notice until after all of it was down and there is was, right in front!)
Raking the mulch into place.
A good sturdy rake helped to smooth out the mulch.
A little Dawn and a magic eraser took care of the green on the house siding.
As we worked around the house, we noticed a few additional things that we could work on. The siding was fairly clean except for this one small area that was green. A little Dawn and a magic eraser took care of it.
We used a bit of Krud Kutter and a magic eraser to clean the area above the front door.
We used a bit of Krud Kutter and a magic eraser to clean the area above the front door. Steph also cleaned the gunk out of the inside of the gutter. Now, that's a true friend!
Pressure washing the driveway with the Ryobi electric pressure washer.
And finally, Steph decided to give the driveway and sidewalk a quick clean with our ryobi electric pressure washer. This surface cleaner attachment makes this so much easier than just using the spray nozzle on its own.
The before of the house before mowing and cleaning up the front flower bed.
After picture of the yard with fresh mulch and bushes trimmed and flower bed weeded.
AFTER! Wow, both Steph and I couldn't believe how good it looked. The landscaping was good, it just needed to be uncovered and trimmed up.
Side yard before.
Side yard after.
Another look at the BEFORE of the yard.
After of the yard which will now be easy to maintain either by the homeowner or through a mowing service.
It was nice to be able to do this for Steph's friend. And yes, he was very happy with how everything turned out. 

Going forward, he should be able to keep it maintained either by himself or by hiring a yard service. With the flower beds now weeded, it should be easy to pull out any weeds that come up through the mulch or use a weed killer. At some point, he may want to have edging put in just to give the front bed a little more definition. 

All in all, it's a pretty cool transformation!


Please note: This is not a sponsored post. 

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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